Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Study Abroad in Mainz: Phenomial experiences, people, places Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/25/2017 to 07/25/2018 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Mainz

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Adulting experience, social/friendship skills, intercultural experience, academic experience,

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I went out of my way to make the academic experience very rigorous and very worthwhile. if I would have had the rigor of many others (8 page paper in a semester, next to a Middlebury class, is much less intense), I might only rate a 3.5 or 4. In any case, the academic (and also personal) support available through Babelguides and the program director was top-notch, first-class.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Everything was organized and clear. No complaints.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Very satisfied. I mayhave gotten lucky on an unusually social floor, but living in a 12-person floor with a shared kitchen was a highlight of the program for me.

* Food:

Food was not provided, and the Cafeterias were more institutional-quality than Middlebury's, although perfectly fine and very well-priced. I learned to cook like an adult, which was another highlight for me. The program dinners satisfied the rare desire for a nice meal I didn't have to cook myself.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

My experience may be atypical, but through my friends in the dorm and joining a church (where I was 2-4 times per week), I felt very well integrated, as integrated as I imagine a German would feel.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had no experience with healthcare issues.

* Safety:

Mainz is a profoundly safe city, even when I was lost at night, I didn't feel unsafe. The experience may have been different as a female, but everything is well lit, and I can't think of any time I felt unsafe at all.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

I can't think of anything another program would give me that this one didn't.

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I spent about 20 dollars a week on groceries, etc. Aldi is great!
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Cook a lot, shop at Aldi.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Being in Germany is a good encouragement to speak German...

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Advanced
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? Senior Semianr
How many hours per day did you use the language? 10+
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Make friends, join clubs, talk about whatever you can, whether that's yesterdays soccer game or your deepest dreams. That's the only way it'll get easier.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 10+

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The program was great at integrating me into real live Germany, it didn't coddle me of give me the opportunity (unless I would have gone out of my way to) to only hang out with Americans and speak English.
* What could be improved?
  • Can't think of anything big.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? It's totally worth it to consciously develop relationships with people, even if it costs you hours.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Empirical Economic Research
Course Department: Econ
Instructor: van Ewjik
Instruction Language: German
Comments: The lecture was sensibly structured, but took far too long (about 7 weeks) reviewing old material. Prof was always prepared and knowlegable, and his examples always made sense. It was a massive lecture, so I did not participate almost at all. There was an exam.
Credit Transfer Issues: I haven't tried to transfer the credit yet.
Course Name/Rating:

GIS
Course Department: Geography
Instructor: Kropp
Instruction Language: German
Comments: The lectures were too quick to catch everything, and the lecturer was often unprepared to deal with arising problems. I asked even more questions than I would have at Midd, because I had to to keep myself afloat. There was a paper.
Credit Transfer Issues: I haven't tried to transfer the credit yet.
Course Name/Rating:

Church History 4
Course Department: Theology
Instructor: Breul
Instruction Language: German
Comments: The lectures were very informative, but somewhat fast paced. Because it was more more a lecture than at Midd, I was somewhat less active. There was a paper, and the professor was an absolute joy to work with. He was incredibly kind and friendly, for which I am very thankful.
Credit Transfer Issues: I haven't tried to transfer the credit yet.
Course Name/Rating:

Public Finance
Course Department: Econ
Instructor: Schunk
Instruction Language: German
Comments: The course was almost insultingly easy. Until the eighth week, we only covered material that I had already learned in Intro Micro. Because of this, I was slightly less active than I would have been. The professor often left the lecturing to his grad students, which was disappointing. There was an exam.
Credit Transfer Issues: I haven't tried to transfer the credit yet.
Course Name/Rating:

Time Series Analysis
Course Department: Economics
Instructor: Weiser
Instruction Language: German
Comments: The professor wasn't always clear nor well-prepared, which made lectures hard to follow and the course as a whole more difficult than nessesary. I participated as often as I would have at MIdd. There was a research project and an exam.
Credit Transfer Issues: I haven't tried to transfer the credit yet.
Course Name/Rating:

Intro New Testamant
Course Department: Theology
Instructor: Zimmermann
Instruction Language: German
Comments: Teacher was very knowlegeable and gave us a very good overview for further work. I wish it would have been a little more deep and a little less wide, but that wasn't the point of the course. was as active in class as I would have been at Midd. I wrote a paper, for which the professor was very helpful.
Credit Transfer Issues: I haven't tried to transfer the credit yet.